WERTHEIM NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Brookhaven, New York

A

ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT

Calendar Year 1984

r U.S. Department of the Interior

Fish and Wildlife Service

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM

WERTHEIM NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Brookhaven, New York

ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT

Calendar Year 1984

U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM

REVIEW AND APPROVALS

WERTHEIM NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Brookhaven, New York

ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT

Calendar Year 1984

/

INTRODUCTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

A. HIGHLIGHTS

B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

C. LAND ACQUISITION

Fee Title nothing to report Easements !!!! I! !!!!!!! ! nothing; to report

Other

D. PLANNING ^

Master Plan 2-3

Management Plan nothing, to report. Public Participation ngthiDg.tc report. Compliance with Environmental and Cultural Resource Mandates 3 Research and Investigations 3 Other 4

E. ADMINISTRATION

Personnel 3-6 Youth Programs 7-8 Other Manpower Programs gothing to.rgpgrt Volunteer Program . 8-9 Funding 9-10 Safety 10-11 Technical Assistance 11 Other 11

F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT

General 13 Wetlands 12-14 Forests 14-15 Croplands nothing to.rgpgrt Grasslands : 13 Other Habitats nothing fo.rgpgri; Grazing nothing fo .rgpgri; Haying nothing to .rgpgrf

• T 5-1 7 Fire Ma n a g e m e n t i t i q

Pest Control 17-19

HABITAT MANAGEMENT (Cont.)

11. Water Rights nptjiijig. tp ^epo^t. 12. Wilderness and Special Areas nothing^ to report^ 13. WPA Easement Monitoring nothing^ to report^

G. WILDLIFE

1. Wildlife Diversity nothing, to report 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species 3. Waterfowls 2 0 4. Marsh and Water Rights 21 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied Species 21 6. Raptors 21 7. Other Migratory Birds 21-22 8. Game Mammals 22 9. Marine Mammals nptjiipg. tp pepopt.

' 10.- Other Resident Wildlife nptjiipg. to pepopt. 11. Fisheries Resources 22 12. Wildlife Propagation and Stocking _ 23 13. Surplus Animal Disposal npt]iipg. to pepopt. 14. Scientific Collections 23 15. Animal Control nptjiipg. to pepopt. 16. Marking and Banding ^3-24 17. Disease Prevention and Control . . . . nptjiipg. to pepopt.

27 27

27-29

H. PUBLIC USE

1. General 25 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students 25-26 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers 26-27 4. Interpretive Foot Trails 27 5. Interpretive Tour Routes 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations 7. Other Interpretive Programs 8. Hunting nothing, to report 9. Fishing 10. Trapping nothing, to report 11. Wildlife Observation 12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation . . nothing, to report 13. Camping nothing, to pepopt 14.. Picnicking nothing, to report 15. Off-Road Vehicling nothing, to report 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation nothing, to pepopt 17. Law Enforcement 18. Cooperating Associations nothing, to report 19. Concessions nothing, to report 20. Other Programs nothing, to report

29

29

30-32

I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES

1. New Construction 32-33 2. Rehabilitation 33-35 3. Major Maintenance 35-38 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement 38-39 5. Communications Systems 39-4 0 6. Computer Systems nothing .to r.ep.or.t . 7. Energy Conservation 4 0 8. Other nothing to. report .

J. OTHER ITEMS

1. Cooperative Programs nothing .to. r.ep.or.t . 2. Other Economic Uses no.th.in.g to. r.ep.or.t . 3. Items of Interest 41

4. Credits 44

K. ' FEEDBACK • 4 2

L. INFORMATION PACKET - - - (inside back cover;

Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Lido Beach Wildlife Management Area

INTRODUCTION

The 2,400 acre Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge is located on the south shore of Long Island, New York. Of the total acreage, approximately 45 percent is oak-conifer forest, 20 percent open waters of ponds, rivers, and bays and 35 percent salt, brackish and freshwater marshes. The refuge is bisected by the Carmans River which enters from the north, meanders through the refuge and empties into Bellport Bay. Yaphank Creek, Little Neck Run, Big Fish Creek, and Little Fish Creek join the Carmans River within the refuge. Wertheim protects one of the last undeveloped estuaries on Long Island. The topography is flat and soils are sandy.

The Carmans River is one of the last areas to freeze in the winter and attracts wintering black ducks in great numbers. The refuge originated as a donation from Cecile and Maurice Wo-rtheim, who maintained the area as a duck hunting club. The headquarters for the seven refuges located on Long Island l is here. Refuges managed from the Wertheim Headquarters include Morton, Amagansett, Conscience Point, Seatuck, Target Rock, Oyster Bay and Lido Beach.

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A. HIGHLIGHTS

The Big Fish Creek Impoundment became operational (Section 1-2) .

An environmental education workshop for teachers was held. (Section H-3)

Bald eagles were sighted. (Section G-3)

Refuge staff ""banded and observed collared Canada geese. (Section G-16)

The entrance road and bridge were rebuilt. (Section 1-2)

B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

No weather records are kept at the refuge. The data shown below are from Islip - McArthur Airport which is located fifteen miles northwest of the refuge.

Normal 1984 Max. Min. Month Rainfall Rainfall Snow Temp. Temp

Jan. 3.21 2.63 18" 50 -7 Feb. 3 .13 5.55 0 57 12 March 4.22 • 5.53 8 50 11 April 3.75 4 .81 69 30 May 3.76 9.43 74 40 June 3.23 5.14 92 46 July 3.77 8.36 88 58 Aug. 4.03 .47 90 58 Sept. 3.66 5.06 82 . 45 Oct. 3.41 2.43 72 34 Nov. 4.14 1.69 68 26 Dec. 3.81 4.3 19 65 22

Total 44.12 55.40 45

On March 29, a severe storm struck the area. Extreme high tides were accompanied by rain, snow, and winds gusting to 95 mph. Damage to refuge facilities caused by the storm are discussed in section I. The other notable weather event this year was the very mild fall. Temperatures reached into the GO's all the way up until the end of December. Bird watchers and duck hunters both complained of interrupted migrations and poor success.

C. LAND ACQUISITION

3. Other

The Robinson Duck farm is within the acquisition boundary of the refuge. Mr. Robinson ceased duck farming this year and is interested in selling the property. The ninety acre tract is mainly upland with some woods and several large fields. A small amount of wetlands on this property abut refuge wetlands along the Carmans River. The refuge owns land on threes sides of the property.

No federal funds were available to purchase the land this year. New York State is, however, interested in buying sixty of the ninety acres. The area would be managed cooperatively by the refuge and state. No agreement on the sale was reached at years end.

The Brookhaven Associates tract, which is also within the acquisition boundary, was sold this year. The sale is not final until the buyer gets a change in zoning. The buyer is interested in building a golf course here. The tract is zoned residential. Yaphank Creek and the marshes along the creek would have been an excellent addition to the refuge.

Development of six lots adjacent to the refuge along Old Stump Road has been proposed by the owner. The lots contain wetlands that are contiguous with refuge wetlands. The lots are not within the acquisition boundary. New York State mapped the wetlands on the lots as part of the owners building permit application. The lots contain more wetlands than the builder anticipated and there may not be room for six houses with proper setbacks. No construction took place this year.

Assistant Manager Stewart completed a boundary inspection of the refuge. It revealed that many boundary markers have been lost or moved. No complete survey of the boundary has ever been done. Encroachment by private individuals is occurring in several places where the boundary is not clear. The inspection report recommends that the entire boundary by surveyed so that proper posting and protection of the refuge can commence.

D. PLANNING

1. Master Plan

The Habitat Classification and Covertype Mapping Report was received in August. The mapping was done under contract by Doug Norton of Cornell University as part of master planning. This project should be useful in formulating habitat manage­ment plans and documenting habitat changes on the refuge.

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The major habitats found were upland forest, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh, and river estuary. Approximately 250 areas representing fifty-three covertypes were mapped.

No other work was done on master planning this year, a quick start in 1983, this has been put on hold.

After

4. Compliance with Environmental and Cultural Resource Mandates

Archeologist Susan Grzybouski and Professor Frank Turano walked over several possible archeological sites. One site is located on the river banks at Indian Landing and the other along Yaphank Creek. Oyster shells are exposed at these sites. They seemed to think that the sites offered some promise. They were provided with information on Service policy and permits concerning cultural resources. No permits were applied for

YCC cleaned and fenced this graveyard (WRT-1-4, Lindvall)

5. Research and Investigations

Dr. Howard Ginsberg, from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, trapped mosquitos on the east side of the refuge. Dr. Ginsberg is working under contract with the National Park Service at Fire Island. Mosquitos were marked at Fire Island and traps set in residential areas and on the refuge. The study showed that few mosquitos were migrating from Fire Island to residential areas on Long Island.

6. Other

A plan for solving problems listed under the Threats and Conflicts report was completed. Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge listed sixty-five resource problems on the questionnaire. Some of the problems listed in 1981 are beyond the refuge staff's ability to control. These include, water pollution, leaching from a town landfill, and air pollution. Some of the problems listed were corrected with the closing of the duck farm upstream of the refuge. The farm was a source of water pollution and possible waterfowl disease. Some of the law enforcement problems listed have been somewhat alleviated by the transfer of the complex headquarters to Wertheim. A full-time law enforcement position would be a big help in this area. Phrag-mites, mosquito control, and upland habitat management are problems which still need attention.

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E. ADMINISTRATION

1. Personnel

Long Island Refuges Staff (WRT-2-4, Spaulding) 6 4 7 3 2 5 1

Roger Spaulding, Refuge Manager, GS-12, PFT, EOD 7/27/80 Thomas Stewart, Assistant Refuge Manager, GS-9, PFT, EOD 5/16/83, transferred 10/84 Mark Lindvall, Outdoor Recreation Planner, GS-9, PFT, EOD 12/15/80 John R. Phillips, Assistant Refuge Manager, GS-5, PFT, EOD 3/20/83, stationed at Morton National Wildlife Refuge Patricia Walsh, Secretary, GS-4, PFT, EOD 8/8/83 Bruce Marto, Maintenance Worker, WG-8, PFT, EOD, 4/4/71 Kevin Titmus, Maintenance Worker, WG-8, temporary, EOD 4/16/84 Susan King, (not pictured) Park Aid, GS-3, summer employee, EOD 5/30/84, terminated 9/16/84, stationed at Morton NWR Dale Carpenter, (not pictured) YCC group aid, GS-4, EOD 6/11/84, terminated 8/17/84

Dale Carpenter Mike Sullivan Gary Dusang Jim Barden Barbara Maier Deborah Allwardt 7/2/84-9/24/84

SCA Volunteers

4/2/84-6/9/84 4/2/84-6/9/84 6/1/84-8/24/84 6/8/84-8/23/84, 7/2/84-9/24/84

YCC

YCC crew (WRT-3-4, Lindvall) 3 5 17

1. Dale Carpenter, Group Leader 2. Scott Runket 3. Peggy Hart 4. Charles Moller

5. Berry Levin 6. Brian McBreen 7. Scott Delibero

Tom Stewart transferred in October to Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Tom accepted the refuge manager's position there. Good luck Tom!

Kevin Titmus was hired as a temporary maintenance worker in April. Kevin has been a big help in clearing a backload of proj ects.

Five Year Personnel Figures

Career Youth PFT PPT Seasonal Temporary Programs

FY 84 6 0 0 3 11 FY 83 6 0 0 2 10 FY 82 4 1 1 0 4 FY 81 4 1 1 1 3 FY 80 4 1 1 1 3

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2. Youth Programs

Applications for YCC enrollees were solicited from four high-schoo.ls and the New York State Employment office. In spite of repeated contacts with schools, we received few applicants. This was especially true for the two positions at Morton National Wildlife Refuge. Long Island is an area of low un­employment and we had difficulty filling summer positions. After some effort, we got enough applicants to fill three positions at Seatuck, two at Morton and eight at Wertheim. We also hired a group aid for the crew at Wertheim. Enrollees at Morton were supervised by refuge staff and by Seatuck Research Program staff at Seatuck. This was the first year we have had a crew leader and it worked well. We also had a van which allowed the Wertheim crew to travel to the other refuges for big projects.

We were scheduled to have thirteen enrollees for our camp. On'the first day of work one person did not come in. During the summer, we had two people quit to take better jobs, two were fired for bad work habits, and one quit after getting Lyme disease. We were able to replace those who left and had a good crew of eleven at the end of the program. Two of the Seatuck enrollees worked beyond eight weeks to utilize budgeted salary money.

The greatest problem we had was with enrollee pay. Checks were very slow in coming. Much of the motivation for a teenage worker is money, and that was slow in getting here. Our answer, "we are changing payroll systems which is causing delays", did not carry much weight. Additionally, when their checks did come, there were frequent errors. Pay/Pers generally caused the enrollees to be paid only one week's salary at a time.

The crew at Wertheim, under the direction of a crew leader, completed a wide variety of tasks. They cleared forest trails, planted dozed fire lines, restored an old graveyard, did grounds work at the office, picked up litter, constructed bird nest boxes, replaced boundary signs, cleared an area for a parking lot, and made a canoe landing. They also travelled to Seatuck for general cleanups, to Target Rock to paint signs, repair fences, paint the pump house, and clean the mansion and to Morton for boardwalk repair and trail trimming. They were a hard working crew and took on most tasks with a smile. A crew leader and van for transpor­tation were a plus over previous years.

The crew at Seatuck worked under the direction of the Seatuck Research Program staff. They did a variety of maintenance tasks plus assisted with wildlife studies. They did extensive work on the captive waterfowl flock including feeding, candling and culling eggs, and building pens.

They recorded data on vegetation for a predation study, cat­bird study, and suburban bird study. They also recorded data for a deer movement study and visited the Natural History Museum in New York City.

The crew at Morton worked under the supervision of the Assistant Refuge Manager and the Park Aid. They completed extensive re­pairs on the nature trail boardwalk and put in several new sec­tions. The office and visitor contact station were also painted. Time was spent maintaining the office and barn and keeping this high visitor use area clean. Trash and old snow fence were re­moved from the beach.

The enrollees at Wertheim had a chance to travel to several refuges on the island and learn about these areas. Refuge staff oriented the enrollees to Wertheim, Morton and Target Rock Refuges. The Seatuck Research Program staff took time to explain their research to our enrollees. Several conserva­tion oriented projects were also completed. The three enrollees who worked at Seatuck had a unique opportunity to learn first hand about wildlife research. They assisted Seatuck Research Program in gathering data on a variety of wildlife research including a deer tracking study and Open Marsh Water Management. Enrollees at Morton worked along with the Assistant Refuge Manager who provided them with information on refuges. They also worked on protecting a tern nesting colony and visited other refuges on the island.

4. Volunteer Program

The Student Conservation Association Volunteer Program was expanded from three volunteers in 1983 to six in 1984. We provide housing and a chance for volunteers to gain first hand experience in refuge management. The SCA provides travel expenses to and from the refuge and a small stipend. This year all volunteers completed their twelve week volunteer assignment. All were hard and eager workers. One of their main jobs was to patrol the refuge to prevent arson fires set by children. To their credit, we had no arson fires this year. They also maintained our fire fighting equipment, just in case.

Other tasks completed included: starting a refuge herbarium, sampling for mosquito larvae, clearing fire trails, clearing a parking area, nest search, erecting wood duck boxes, and an assortment of maintenance tasks. Their help on these projects was greatly appreciated.

SCA Staff Person Susan Pagent visited the refuge on August 15, to evaluate the program and interviewed the volunteers. Her comments on our program were favorable.

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The Friends of Wertheim volunteer group was again helpful*to the refuge. The group recruits volunteersf holds meetings and has a group project each year. This year's group project was a river cleanup. Thirteen Friends, assisted by two SCA volunteers, cleaned all litter from the river banks. Carmans River Canoe Rentals donated the use of canoes for the day. The catch included several shopping carts, tires, plastic, bottles and cans.

In addition to the group projects. Friends also contributed by doing individual projects. We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. McCutchen and Tony Delibero for working as canoe trip guides for school and environmental groups. Their patience and bravery in facing groups of twenty excited teenagers in canoes is much appreciated. Several nice thank you letters were received at the refuge as a result of their work.

Jim Bell, and Julius and Cecilia Hastings were a big help in shotting neck collared geese. Mr. and Mrs. Hastings went out almost every fall and winter weekend in their own car in search of the marked geese. Other volunteers and projects include: Jennifer Pulleston who crafted fine and professional-like drawings for the refuge leaflet; Brian Bartholome, a recent wildlife graduate, prepared a draft proposal for re-establishing wild turkey at Wertheim; and Allan Thorndike helped with a refuge boundary inspection.

Special thanks are due Karen Rowley for organizing the group's meetings and the river cleanup. She also put out a small newsletter and worked on getting the book, The Carmans River Story, reprinted. Five hundred copies of the book were donated to the refuge.

5. Funding

Funding during FY 84 was sufficient for base line operations, but discretionary funds were minimal. Several projects, including opening Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge to the public, had to be postponed due to insufficient funds. The original station budget allocation proved to be inadequate due to the large amount of travel required for employee training and the large mandated YCC program. Repairs from the March 29 storm were also unplanned for. An additional $6000 was supplemented in order to accomplish these essential tasks. No add-on funding was provided for YCC this year. All funding for the Long Island Refuge Complex is allotted to Wertheim and no separate funding breakdown is available for each sub­station. The following is a summary of the recent funding history of the Long Island Complex. ,

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FUNDING HISTORY (Dollar amounts in thousands)

FY-81 1210 1220 1240 1260 1520 1994 Operations & Maintenance 52.0 3.0 114.0 0 0 7.0 Cyclical Maintenance 15.0 0 19.0 0 0 0

Total 67.0 3.0 133.0 0 0 7.0 Grand Total - 210.0

FY-8 2 Operations & Maintenance 86.0 3.0 42.0 0 0 7.0 Cyclical Maintenance 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 86.0 3.0 42.0 0 0 7.0 Grand Total - 138.0

FY-8 3 Operations & Maintenance 104.0 5.0 31.0 0 0 7.0 Cyclical Maintenance 20.0 0 0 0 0 0

Total ' 124.0 5.0, 31. 0 0 0 7.0 Grand Total - 167.0

FY-84 Operations & Maintenance 0 0 200 . 0 0 17.5 6.0

Grand Total - 223.5

FY-8 5 -

Operations & Maintenance 0 0 0 232. 0 21.3 10 . 0

Grand Total - 263.3

1210-Migratory Birds 1260-Wildlife Resources 1220-Mammals and Non-migratory birds 1520-YCC 1240-1 & R 1994-Quarters

The FY-84 and FY-85 Operations and Maintenance budget includes ARMM and Fire monies, earmarked for specific projects. Actual discretionary funds remain small.

6. Safety

The safety officer prepares a monthly safety bulletin which discusses an item of seasonal nature or of a recurring nature. The bulletin is routed to all personnel and then posted. Two safety films were also shown.

Maintenance worker Marto was out of work from January 1 through August 6 this year as a result of an injury received. He re­ceived Workers Compensation during this period. He was still receiving treatment for the injury to his elbow at the end of 1984 .

Other injuries received this year were: John Phillips - serious poison ivy and a tick bite; Roger Spaulding - poison ivy; Mark Lindvall - infected tick bite, and Tom Stewart - tripped and injured his knee.

There is quite a bit of concern here about Lyme disease whi-ch is carried by ticks. Two people contracted the disease while on Long Island Refuges. This year Dr. Aaron Ross, from the State University of New York at Stony Brook Medical School, took*blood samples from refuge employees, SCA and YCC employees to test for the disease. No one tested positive.

Elizabeth Pless contracted Lyme disease at Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge. The case was misdiagnosed and only one week after onset of symptoms was it correctly identified. It was diagnosed by Dr. Ross. Office of Worker's Compensation Program forms were filed.

Three minor vehicle accidents occurred this year. SCA Gary Dusang and Assistant Manager Stewart both backed pickups into obstacles. SCA Dale Carpenter dented the fender of a pickup by hitting a tree. No personal injuries were received in these accidents.

7.' Technical Assistant

Information on the management of refuges in urban settings was supplied to Robert Bonnean of the Marie-Victorian Bird Watchers Club. Their club is interested in starting a refuge in Montreal, Quebec.

8. Other

This was the year of travel and training and meetings. From January 10 through 12, Manager Spaulding attended the Project Leaders meeting in Wallops Island, Virginia. Outdoor Recreation Planner Mark Lindvall, attended basic fire training from February 6 through 10, at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Manager Spaulding and Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall attended A-76 training in the regional office from February 21-24. Lindvall then traveled to Tinicum NEC as part of an A-76 review team. From March 12 through 30, Spaulding attended Advanced Refuge Management training in Washington D.C.. Assistant Manager Phillips was at the Basic Refuge Managers Academy from April 16 to May 11. Assistant Manager Stewart attended Tractor Safety training at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge on June 7. In August, Assistant Manager Phillips and Stewart and Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall all attended one week law enforcement refresher courses.

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F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT

1. General

There has been little active habitat management done on the refuge. There is, however, a need for some management or at least a closer look at options. As more and more land is developed on Long Island, the amount available to wildlife is diminishing. It is important that we do the most with the land available.

2. Wetlands

Rose mallow grows along the river bank (WRT-4-4, Lindvall)

The Big Fish Creek Impoundment was repaired this year (see Section 1.2 also). The dike was built by the Wertheims in the 30's or 40's. The original dike deteriorated and was rebuilt under BLHP in 1980. In the fall of 1980, a storm washed the dike out.

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Following completion of repairs in November, stoplogs wer^ put in and the area was flooded. Natural flow from the creek filled the impoundment to its maximum level in about thirty days. The newly flooded areas attracted large numbers of American black ducks and green-winged teal. The impound­ment floods about forty surface acres. Much of this area is, however, covered by Phragmites. These areas are not attractive to wildlife. Hopefully, a planned treatment with Rodeo herbi­cide and the stress of increased water levels will kill back the Phragmites.

Big Fish Creek Impoundment from the air (WRT-5-4, Spaulding)

Phragmites is a major problem in other areas of the refuge also. In the salt marsh it can be found along the edges of old mosquito ditches. Hopefully, these areas can be killed with spot treatment of herbicides. Much larger areas along the Carmans River, Yaphank Creek, and Little Neck Run have been taken over by Phragmites. Most of these areas are tidal, the waters brackish, and have been ditched. Their area exceeds that of the natural marsh which has a mix of plants. Cattail, and Arrow arum are found here. Control of Phragmites in these areas may prove extremely difficult.- Over the years, the Phragmites plants have built up a mat of roots and dead stems which has raised the elevation of the marsh substrate.

Ditches, as this one on a state marsh, (cleared for mosquito control by Suffolk County Vector Control) promote Phragmites invasion by raising the substrate as a result of spoil disposition. (WRT-6-4, Lindvall)

There are four small ponds totaling less than five acres located on the refuge. These ponds provide additional and different habitats. The ponds are located in wooded areas and are attractive to wood ducks and songbirds. There are several other sites where similar ponds could be constructed.

3. Forests

There are approximately 850 acres of non-commercial forests on the refuge. The sandy soil is suitable for pitch pine and oaks. Black tupelo and red maple grow along the streams and river. Understory in the pine-oak woods is sparse and is primarily low and high bush blueberry. The vigor of the understory has increased somewhat in recent years. This is due primarily to the death of many oaks which were killed by gypsy moths in the years of 1981, 1982 and 1983.

Some small pitch pines are also coming into the areas where oaks have died. Overall, these areas are not very productive. This years acorn crop, from those trees remaining, was fair. It is however, an improvement over recent years when it was almost impossible to find an acorn in the oak woods. Several prescribed burns in forest areas are planned for 1985. Burns should stimulate blueberry production.

Oaks again produced a mast crop (WRT-7-4, Lindvall)

5. Grasslands

There are about eighty-five acres of old field habitat on the refuge. These areas were mowed with a hammer-knife mower mounted on a small tractor. Mowing prevents these open areas from closing in with red cedar and brush.

Several fields have grown up to a point where the hammerknife mower will not cut the brush. A brush hog mower has been purchased and will be used on these fields. Several fields are .also scheduled for prescribed burns in 1985.

9. Fire Management

A cooperative agreement for fire suppression is in effect for Wertheim with the Brookhaven Volunteer Fire Department. This is the first year in many that the fire department has not been called to put out fires on the refuge. The area has a history of suspected arson fires.

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In 1983, there were three wildfires and six in 1982. A large part of the reduction is due to SCA volunteers patrolling the refuge after hours and on weekends. Their presence in an official vehicle and contact with many youngsters seems to have reduced the fire hazard here.

Fire drills are held to test equipment and practice its use (WRT-8-4, Lindvall)

The only wildfire this year occurred on May 4. The fire burned about 300 square feet along the railroad tracks. Trains brake along this section and sparks from the wheels probably started this fire. The fire, was detected early on and put out by Manager Spaulding and Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall.

A new John Deere 550 bulldozer was received in April. The dozer was purchased with fire funding and will be used to control brush and woods fires. It was used this year to clear and grade roads used for fire breaks.

A 200 gallon slip-on pumper unit was mounted on one of the 4X4 pick-ups purchased with FY-82 fire funds. This will improve our initial attack and mop-up capabilities.

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4 X 4 w i t h 2 0 0 g a l l o n p u m p e r u n i t ( W R T - 9 - 4 , Spaulding)

10. Pest Control

This year no mosquito control activities were conducted on the refuge. Suffolk County Vector Control was issued a permit to hand clean mosquito ditches and to apply BTI to refuge marshes. They chose, however, not to work on the refuge, but instead to spray insecticides on residential areas around the refuge. They also did extensive ditch cleaning with a backhoe on state marshes that are adjacent to the refuge. This constant activity on the state marshes has lowered their quality in comparison to refuge marshes. The state marsh is slower to green up in the spring and has many spots where the vegetation has died. Several private citizens have commented on the differences between the state and refuge marshes.

SCA volunteers conducted a search for mosquito larvae in refuge marshes in August and September. Very few larvae were located even in what should have been prime habitat. This year seemed to bring fewer mosquitos but we were surprised at finding so few larvae. One surprise was the large numbers of fish in the ditches and on the marsh. Small pockets of water some distance from ditches even held fish. These fish could be the reason for lower mosquito numbers this year.

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On December 13, Smalley Excavators, Inc., sponsored a demon­stration of their 875 Low Ground Pressure tractor coupled with Dondi DMR 35 W Ditcher. The demonstration was held very near^Wertheim using Suffolk County Vector Control's machine.

The tractor travelled well over the surface of the marsh which had standing water 2-3 inches deep in some areas. However, it is not amphibious. The surface vegetation did not appear to be as severly matted by the tracks as with a Bombadier or similar machine.

The tractor -is hydraulically propelled with hydraulic motors on both the front and rear of each track.- The tracks are completely independent of each other and can operate in opposite directions simultaneously, enabling the machine to turn completely around in its own length. The PTO is also hydraulically driven and independent of the track drives. Therefore, the machine goes from a dead stop to full forward and back again or can reverse. The PTO spline is standard and the hitch is a standard Category II 3-point. Brush hogs or other equipment can be hooked-up in place of the ditcher.

The tractor has not, as yet, been tested with any attachments such as a disc plow or moldboard plow. Smalley intended to conduct a test in the near future. The only limitation may be sufficient traction to pull a large plow through cohesive soil. The flotation of the LGP tracks will reduce traction, how badly remains to be seen.

Smalley tractor at work (WRT-10-4, Spaulding)

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The ditcher performed very well and was quite impressive- ^ It definitely distributes the spoil over a wide swathe of approximately 30 feet. The resulting ditch is clean and even.^ The articulated attachment and hydraulic drive allow the machine and ditcher to travel and operate through a substantial angle of arc. This will allow the construction of more naturally appearing ditches and curved pond areas.

The power plant is a Perkins diesel, the same as used on Allis Chalmers tractors. Parts are readily available for the entire machine and ditcher.

The machine and ditcher both appear to have great potential for use in impoundment rehabilitation, vegetation control in marsh and swamp areas and fire control.

G. WILDLIFE

2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species

The refuge participated in the New York State winter eagle survey again this year. No eagles were sighted on the day of the count. Eagles were, however, reported on the refuge in October. Several eagles are now wintering on Long Island. These may be some of the eagles released in upstate New York in a hacking program. This is the first year in local bird watchers memory when an adult bald eagle has been sighted on Long Island. All recent sightings had been of immatures up until this year.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

maintains lists of endangered, threatened, and special concern

species. This year Peter Warney, from the Nature Conservancy

Heritage Program, surveyed the refuge for mud turtles. This

turtle is endangered in New York where Long Island is at the

northern edge of its range. Despite extensive searches and

a live trapping effort, no mud turtles were found. Local

naturalists can remember when this turtle was common on the

refuge. v

The osprey has come back in New York to the point where the state has changed its status from endangered to threatened. This year two pairs nested on the refuge. Both of these pairs have used the same nests for a number of years. The pair nesting at Big Fish Creek were successful in bringing off two young this year. The birds at the Wellington tract failed to raise young again this year. There are many natural nest sites and many artificial platforms that will hopefully attract additional pairs of osprey in the future.

2Q

3. Waterfowl

Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge serves as an important wintering and refuge area for American black ducks. It is especially important when the Great South Bay freezes.

The tidal river within the refuge is one of the last areas to ice up. Ducks concentrate on the river at this time. Hunters on the Great South Bay also push ducks onto the refuge. The peak for American black duck numbers this year was 1,887 and occurred just after the opening of the water­fowl hunting-season. Many ducks have learned to avoid hunters by spending the day loafing on the refuge and flying out at night to feed.

Increasing numbers of mute swans are wintering on the refuge. There numbers peaked at 82 in December. Several pairs also nest on the refuge. This exotic bird seems to be on the increase all over Long Island. Unfortunately, it is protected under state law.

The YCC built eight wood duck nest boxes which were put up by the SCA volunteers. Most boxes were put on cedar poles in the water. Hopefully, this will keep out squirrels which are a problem on tree mounted boxes. The new boxes bring the total on the refuge up to twenty-five. Of 15 boxes available at nesting season, five were used by wood ducks. One box also contained a dump nest.

SCA volunteers preparing to put out wood duck boxes (WRT-11-4, Lindvall)

21

On May 5, refuge staff. New York State biologists, SCA volunteers and volunteers from the South Shore Waterfowlers Association conducted a nest search. Areas bordering Big Fish Creek, salt marsh, an old field, and the banks of Yaphank Creek-were searched. No waterfowl nests were found. It did however, prove to be a good day to introduce people interested in waterfowl conservation to the refuge. Nesting phenology was apparently very late this year and we may have searched too early.

4. Marsh and Water Birds

Up to twenty great blue herons can be seen on the refuge during the winter. The refuge appears to be a wintering area only, as they do not nest here and are seldom seen here in the summer. Green-backed herons are common in the summer and may nest here although no nests have been located.

, 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns, and Allied Species

Wertheim Refuge is located between the town landfill and Fire Island. Large numbers of herring and great black-backed gulls feed at the landfill and roost on Fire Island. Many stop off at the refuge to clean up in fresh water after a day at the dump. Large flocks pass over the refuge in the morning and evening.

Common terns, least terns, and black skimmers feed on the refuge and nest on Fire Island. Yellowlegs and spotted sandpiper are the most abundant shorebirds •but are not found in great numbers. The recently repaired Big Fish Creek Impoundment should attract more shorebirds.

6. Raptors

Larger than usual numbers of sharp-shinned hawks passed through the refuge this fall. During September and October there was almost a constant stream moving through on migration. Red-tailed hawks, kestrels, and Northern harriers are year round residents on the refuge. Additional Northern harriers also winter here. Also spotted this year were rough-legged hawk, merlin, broad-winged hawk, great-horned owl, barn owl, and screech owl. Great-horned and barn owls are believed to nest on the refuge, but we have not confirmed it.

7. Other Migratory Birds

Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall participated in the Christmas Bird Count this year. The refuge contributed twenty-one species to the area total. ' One bird commonly seen

on the refuge, but not at other locations on Long Island is the common merganser. Other unusual sightings this year include a whip-poor-will in May and a rough-winged swallow also in May.

8. Game Mammals

White-tailed deer numbers increased from an estimated twelve in 1983 to eighteen in 1984. Estimates are made by observing tracks following a snow fall. Deer are probably benefitting from increased acorn crops in 1983 and 1984. From talking with area residents, it appears that deer were much more abundant in the past. There were even some partial albinos in the herd. The last albino was seen in 1974. This albino buck was chased onto the river by dogs and drowned when it fell through the ice.

11. Fisheries Resources

The explorer scouts and Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall seined for fish on April 17. Few fish were caught. No white perch, a species much sought after at this time of year by fishermen, were taken. Species caught were glass eel, pirate perch, banded killifish, yellow perch, red-finned pickerel, hogchoker (American sole), naked goby and stickleback. A similar effort in August of 1983" resulted in much greater diversity and numbers of fish.

A hogchoker (American sole) Achirus fasciatus being weighed during fishing survey. (WRT-12-4, Lindvall)

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12. Wildlife Propagation and Stocking 91 -*

A proposal for re-establishing fiddler crabs on the refuge was prepared and submitted to the regional office for approval.

This small crab was found in the area before the use of DDT to control mosquitos.

It is an important element in the salt marsh food web and hopefully can be re-established. The proposal calls for transferring crabs from Morton National Wildlife Refuge to Wertheim.

A special use permit was issued to Robert Cook of Jamaica Bay Refuge for collecting four each of black racer snakes and eastern painted turtles. The reptiles would be used to re­establish populations on their refuge. No collections were made this year but plans have been made to try again in 1985.

Contact was made with New York State concerning re-establishing wild turkey on the refuge. A volunteer prepared a preliminary proposal for this. The state is, however, somewhat reluctant to transfer turkey to Long Island. Hopefully, our proposal can be improved and we can move ahead. The habitat is here but the question seems to be whether it is sufficient in size.

14. Scientific Collection

Birds, reptiles, and mammals found' dead on the refuge are collected and donated to area schools. This year, eight specimens were donated to the science chairman of Bellport High School.

16. Marking and Banding

Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge has a post-season banding quota of 100 American black ducks. This year, a total of 111 ducks was banded. Of the total, 109 were American black ducks, one a mallard, and one a mallard X black duck hybrid. Our guota could be increased without much additional work. Most of our effort comes in repairing traps, baiting, setting out traps, and taking in traps. Once we start catching birds we could probably get another 100 in two days.

Refuge staff are cooperating with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation in the East Coast Canada Goose Study. Only 300 of a quota of 500 geese were banded and collared this year. It is very difficult to get geese started on the bait. The geese prefer to feed in the many rye fields found on the east end of Long Island. In October, Bob Trost, one of the principle investigators for the study, conducted a brief training program for refuge staff, state biologists, and two volunteers. Methods of observation, reporting, and estimating flock size were covered. Many collared geese were observed in the fall and winter of 1984. Several hundred collared birds were located, mostly on the east end of

24

1 6 . M a r k i n g a n d B a n d i n g c o n t . • ' *

Long Island. Besides birds we collared, birds from upstate New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and North Carolina were spotted on Long Island. One flock of 4,000 geese had 30 marked birds in it. Most of the geese were observed feeding in rye fields. Rye is planted for a cover crop by potato farmers. Unfortunately, many of the fields used by geese are being developed with expensive summer homes.

What every duck bander likes to see (WRT-13-4, Lindvall)

A Canada goose getting a collar (WRT-14-4, Spaulding)

t

H. PUBLIC USE

1. General

Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge is not open to the general public. We had anticipated opening this year but sufficient funds were not available to purchase signs or gravel for the, parking lot. With the help of the SCA and YCC an area for a parking lot was cleared just off Smith Road. A refuge leaflet was also drafted and sent off for printing. Signs were ordered~"at the start of FY 85 and hopefully we can open in the spring of 1985.

SCA volunteers clearing parking area (WRT-15-4, Lindvall)

2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students

This year 1,067 students used the refuge for environmental education. This is an increase from last years 745 students. Much of the increase is due to the popularity of canoe trips with school groups. Many teachers have attended canoeing workshops at the refuge. We also are able to provide volunteer canoe guides to assist teachers with the classes. Most of the students taking canoe trips through the refuge are junior and senior high level. This has been a difficult age group to attract and interest in the past.

26

Most of the grade school students that come to the refuge .Mare from the William Floyd School District. The science coordina­tor for this district has been very helpful in getting teachers interested in using the refuge and in directing them to meaning­ful Activities. Refuge led programs are not offered although classes are given a short introduction to the refuge by the Outdoor Recreation Planner, if time permits. Teacher led programs have the added advantage that teachers prepare the class before visiting the refuge and usually have follow-up activities back in school.

The largest obstacle in increasing use of the refuge for environmental education is the availability of buses. Most buses here are not owned by the school district but provided by a contractor. Teachers are finding it very difficult to arrange for a bus to get to the refuge. Often two or three classes are forced to share one bus. The large numbers of students arriving at one time is distracting. The teachers dOy however, separate them into smaller groups. ,

Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall, taught a one day class for the Quogue Refuge Adult Field Ecology class. The class visited the refuge on August 15. The students were given information on refuge history, habitats, and management.

The Quogue Junior Sports Program held a series of environmental education field trips here this summer. They hired a teacher who has been very active in environmental education to teach the classes. This worked out very well as the teacher was already familiar with the refuge and activities that work well here.

3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers

A workshop for area teachers was held on April 21. Fourteen junior and senior high school teachers participated in the. day long event. Teachers were taught canoeing techniques, given background information on Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge, and then canoed the Carmans River. The Carmans River Canoe Shop rented canoes to the teachers at a reduced rate and taught the techniques section. Canoeing workshops have proven very popular. Many teachers had to be turned away from this year's workshop.

Suffolk County Board of Cooperative Educational Services and the Museum of Long Island Natural Sciences both held their own teacher workshops at Wertheim. Teachers earned credit for attending the series of classes. They also chose to visit the refuge via canoe. Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall provided refuge information for both classes. Most teachers commented that they did not know that such a scenic and undeveloped river existed on Long Island.

27

On July 12, Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall led a groiijp of eight volunteers on a canoe trip down the Carmans River through the refuge. The trip prepared the volunteers to be canoe guides for groups visiting the refuge. Natural history, refuge history, the refuge system, and estuarine ecology were emphasized.

4. Interpretive Foot Trails

This year the Nassau Hiking. Club, the Great South Bay Audubon Society and the Greenbelt Trail Conference hiked refuge trails. The groups wgre given information on the refuge and expressed their appreciation of visiting one of the larger undeveloped areas on Long Island.

5. Interpretive Tour Routes

Volunteer canoe guides or Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall led canoe trips for the following groups: Boy Scout Troop 60, Friends of Wertheim, Adirondack Mountain Club, Suffolk County 4-H, and the Group for the South Fork. The groups were appreciative of the information and help given them. Several letters were written thanking the volunteer guides. The use of volunteer guides is working well. The guides are very interested in the work and the visitors get a chance to learn about the refuge and conservation.

6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations

Over 200 hunters viewed the new black duck conservation and waterfowl identification films that were loaned to Southaven County Park. Park employees showed the films to hunters before the morning drawing for blinds. The hunters were especially interested in the waterfowl identification film. The black duck slide show and tape were loaned to Fire Island National Seashore. Hunters see the show on an automatic machine when they get an annual permit to hunt.

National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Week kits were mailed to area teachers who had brought classes to the refuge last year. We feel that these teachers will be the most likely to use the kits.

7. Other Interpretive Programs

Much effort was put into promoting the 50th Anniversary of the Duck Stamp. In May, letters were sent to the news editors of nine television stations and newspapers inviting them to participate in the 50th Anniversary of the Duck Stamp. They were asked to view the duck stamp film and tour Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge by canoe. Only one newspaper, Newsday, responded. Their reporter and photographer visited the refuge

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7. Other Interpretive Programs (cont.)

on June 9 and were provided with information on the duck stamp program and the refuge. Unfortunately, the resultant article had very little information on duck stamps. Remaining press packets and information on the Long Island" Refuges were sent out to local papers. Several informative articles resulted from this effort.

Ray Ardell Media, Inc. was contacted by Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall who requested production of a radio spot for the Grumman "About Long Island" radio series. They were provided with information on the duck stamp program and Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. The spot was produced and aired on fourteen Long Island radio stations. The message heard by literally millions of Long Islanders was as follows:

"Duck Stamps -- not for postage -- for protection! It's the 50th anniversary of duck stamps -- a federal program introduced in 1934 to create revenues for wild­life preservation. All waterfowl hunters aged 16 and over are required to purchase a duck stamp annually. Conservationists and stamp collectors also support the duck stamp program, and the stamps have become collector's items. Proceeds are used to buy more land for wildlife refuges -- and part of the 2,600 acre Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Brookhaven was purchased with duck stamp revenues. Duck stamps --available now — at U.S. Post Offices, and National Wildlife Refuges. Duck stamps — supporting wildlife throughout the country -- and here on Long Island."

Regional Office Public Affairs Officer, Inez Connor, contacted Ray Ardell Media Inc. and obtained permission to distribute the text in modified form to other refuges.

Information on the Long Island Refuges and the duck stamp program '.was; provided to the Conservationist, the magazine of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Two fine articles appeared in the September - October issue. The articles resulted in a flood of phone calls and letters requesting further information on the Long Island Refuges.

The book, The Carmans River Story, was reprinted through a joint effort of the refuge, the Friends of Wertheim, the Moriches Bay Audubon Society, a local book store, and a canoe livery. The Moriches Bay Audubon Society donated 500 copies to the refuge. The book is a valuable source of biological and historical information specific to this area. Our copies are given to teachers who are using the refuge for field trips.

A news release on revenue sharing payments was prepared and distributed to newspapers. The article appeared in several papers at the same time the checks were distributed, and provided some education in this area. Most of the town governments in this area are so big that they had no idea of what the payments are for. In some cases, it is even hard to find someone to accept the check.

2.9

Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall, is a member of the Suffolk County 4-H Natural Resources Advisory Committee. The oommittee meets regularly to review existing programs and guide new efforts of 4-H. The 4-H agent in Suffolk County, Bob Kent, has started several good programs, including sport fishing and shellfish aquaculture projects. He has also taught at teacher workshops held on the Long Island Refuges.

Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall attended the New York State Outdoor Education Association Conference and Workshops from October 5 through 9. New York State has one of the largest and most active associations in the country. The workshops, speakers, and meetings provided new ideas and approaches to environmental education. The conference was attended by educators from many areas of the country. If possible, outdoor recreation planners should attend similar meetings in their own area or travel to New York.

9.^ Fishing

The cooperative agreement between the Service and New York State for fishing at Wertheim was signed by Regional Director Larsen and has been forwarded to New York State Officials for approval.

11. Wildlife Observation

Although the land portion of the refuge is closed to the public, canoeing the river through the refuge is very popular. This year an estimated 4,400 people took the three mile trip. A private business rents canoes and has a store just north of the refuge. They have been very cooperative in working with the refuge. At our request, they stopped renting canoes on November 12. The winter is the time of heaviest waterfowl use on the refuge and canoeists can cause considerable distur­bance. Private individuals continue to use the river, however, and some means of control is needed. The river is a navigable waterway which complicates the issue. Some regulatory method will have to be set up to close the river during the winter months.

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17. Law Enforcement

Law enforcement continued to be an important program for Long Island in 1984. Five break-ins occurred in refuge buildings. A total of 39 citations and four written warnings were issued. Nineteen of the citations were issued at Wertheim nine at Morton, and five at Target Rock with six hunting viola­tions cited off refuge.

The first burglary occurred at Wertheim on January 9 during the early morning. A window on the shed was smashed and a portable generator taken. This incident was particularly frustrating as a complete alarm system was in the process of installation, but not quite operational. It was the last of a string of burglaries which occurred at Wertheim during the fall of 1983 and early winter 1984. When the alarm system became operational all attempts at forced entry ceased.

Some time between August 9 and 15 the mansion at Target Rock Refuge was entered by breaking through nailed French doors. A locked room, used by the Lawrence Office of Law Enforcement to store seized endangered species items, was forced. The only items taken were several pills made from rhino horns, which are used as aphrodisiacs. The mansion is unprotected by an alarm system as it is currently used only by Law Enforcement for storage. A system that would give complete coverage for this building would cost approxi­mately $6000.00.

31

Three more break-ins occurred at the Target Rock mansion: one on November 7, on December 3 and another December 30. Nothing was taken during any of these later attempts. All burglaries are reported to the Suffolk County Police and FBI.

The alarm systems in the Wertheim headquarters residence, office and.shop became fully operational in late January. They functioned very well until March 29 when a severe coastal storm knocked down the ground line for the headquarters electrical service. The two hot legs remained up which re­sulted in high voltage, 230 volts over the 115 circuits coming into aj-l the buildings. All 115 volt appliances and devices which were on at the time were destroyed or severely damaged. All three alarm systems were knocked out and required extensive repairs of about one month. In October, the dialer portion of two of the systems failed, probably also as a result of the March 29 damage. The shop and office systems were down for the remainder of the year while the dialers were repaired. Fortunately, whomever our perpetrator is, believed the system to'be operational all year.

Boundary sign vandalism continued to be a serious problem. Signs are completely destroyed or removed, including the post, within two weeks along several areas at Wertheim and Seatuck Refuges.

Blue Goose target (WRT-17-4, Spaulding)

3,2

After hours use, entry into closed areas and unauthorized firearms are all common violations. The large distances between the eight units of the complex combined with the vast populations in the adjacent areas make effective patrols diff­icult at best. A full-time law enforcement position is neces­sary .

The following table summarizes the violation notices filed for all Long Island Refuges in 1984. All violation notices were processed through the U.S. District Court, Brooklyn, New York. Numerous informal warnings were issued for trespass and several violations by juveniles were handled as warnings including contacting the parents.

Taking animal on refuge 3 Possession of unauthorized firearm 4 Disturbing plants 2 Trespass 8 Animal trespass -3 Operation of vehicle on closed road 3 Illegal parking 6 Littering 1 Hunting waterfowl in closed season 3 Shooting non-game migratory birds 3 Hunting without a license 1* Hunting waterfowl with an unsigned duck stamp 1*

*same individual

All personnel with law enforcement authority attended Refuge Law Enforcement Refresher training in April and May. All personnel re-qualified with Service revolvers and shotguns on December 17 under the watchful eye of a National Park Service Firearms instructor from nearby Fire Island National Seashore.

I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES

1. New Construction

Burglar alarms, purchased from FSS contract in 1983, were installed in the office, shop building and Quarters 1 at Wertheim in January. The systems include perimeter protection, switches on all doors and windows; and infrared motion detec­tion inside the buildings. They are also equipped with rate of raise heat detectors for fire protection. The alarms report to a central monitoring station by telephone digital dialer and have audible sirens as well. All telephone service to the shop and residence were buried at the time of installation to foil any attempts to tamper with the lines. Since the system has been operational, we have had no break-ins. Occasional false alarms do occur, possibly some are foiled burglarly attempts. Cost for installation was $1500.00.

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A screened patio was constructed on the south end of Q-l -in May. Mosquito populations frequently make it nearly impossible to enjoy the outdoors. This addition makes "living in the swamp" more bearable and guests willing to come back. SCA volunteers Dale Carpenter and Mike Sullivan along with Maintenance worker Titmus and ORP Lindvall, performed the labor. Total cost including the concrete floor was just under $2000.00.

A parking lot was cleared and leveled for the proposed Indian Landing Trail in August. YCC, SCA's, Maintenance worker Titmus and ORP Lindvall, worked together with hand tools, chain saws and the 550A~John Deere dozer to clear and level an area adjacent to Smith Road. The lot will provide parking for the nature trail which will open in 1985.

2. Rehabilitation

In early August, Maintenance worker Marto painted the old storage shed which is located across the drive from our office. He also replaced all broken or missing window panes. This building had not been painted since the refuge has been in operation. We should get a few more years out of the building now. Hopefully, it will last until a real maintenance and storage facility can be funded and constructed.

The downstairs bathroom in Q-7 required extensive repairs in September. The floor joists were rotten and the floor was buckling. New joists were fitted, linoleum relaid and a new coat of paint applied to the walls.

Screened patio under construction (WRT-18-4 Spaulding)

!

34

An unused section of telephone line which ran along Old Barto Road to the location of the former Rochester Estate buildings (no longer standing) was abandoned by the tele­phone. company in October and the poles were donated to the refuge. The thirty-five poles will be very useful for barricade construction, revetment walls and the like.

Most of the remaining buildings on the old Leskowitz duck farm were removed under a demolition contract in November and December.

Abandoned buildings on Leskowitz Tract before {WRT-19-4, Spaulding)

A .

Several other duck sheds like these also went {WRT-20-4, Spaulding)

35

The contract was let with ARMM funds and came to $11, 9 50 . It was well worth it as the sites are completely free of debris and ready to seed.

Spaulding)

3. Major Maintenance

Construction funds were utilized to completely resurface the main entrance road in October. A contract was issued for $13,000 to haul, place and compact four inches of gravel along the section of road on both sides of the bridge. The surface was badly deteriorated with nothing remaining, but dust. A large portion was also very low and in danger of flooding when storm tides occurred. The road is vastly improved and can now be maintained with our IH 2400 and scraper blade.

The Big Fish Creek impoundment finally became operational in November this year. A construction contract was issued for repair of the remaining breaches and eroded areas, installa­tion of a vehicle bridge over the structure, installation of a stoplog security gate and purchase of stoplogs.

The total price was $14,475 and money well spent. Waterfowl use skyrocketed in the area immediately after placement of the stoplogs. Flocks of 400-500 black ducks and 100-200 teal were common on the thirty-acre impoundment until freeze-up. A water management plan will be formulated next year.

36

Mike Horgan, R.O. Construction Rep., checking out the new stoplog security gate. (WRT-22-4, Lindvall)

The right-of-way for the electric service to headquarters was completely cleared and widened by refuge maintenance staff in December. This was necessary so that Long Island Lighting Company could run new lines and poles into the site replacing fifty year old rotten poles and lines which were spliced every few feet. The service was very unreliable with frequent

i":; outages and voltage variations. The new service brings the transformer onto the property right next to our maintenance shop. The lights no longer flicker when the pump runs and dangerous service breaks like that which occurred on March 29 should be avoided in the future.

The entrance road bridge abutment was completely rebuilt this fall starting in mid-October and was completed in December. Numerous problems occurred during the project, most the result of faulty workmanship. The original plan called for replacement of the rotten wood sheetpiling on the abutment and sandblasting and painting of the bridge. However, refuge staff were directed by Engineering to cut holes in the original bulkheading in the spring to permit inspection of the abutment concrete. The inspection contract contained errors resulting in a delay during which undermining of the abutment concrete occurred. A $9000.00 change order had to be issued to remove the old concrete, set pilings and pour new concrete.

This additional work gave the contractor additional opportunity to make errors. The locations of all twenty anchor bolts were off by three to four inches. New holes were cut in the bridge I-beams to accommodate the bolts.

37

•Hf

New concrete abutment being poured, new sheetpiling in place (WRT-23-4, Spaulding)

Mis-located anchor bolts in new abutment concrete (WRT-24-4, Spaulding)

38

The bridge was finally replaced after being off for nearly two months. The original contract called for thirty days maximum. Fortunately, we have an alternate entrance to headquarters. The bridge work was accomplished with Construction funds for a total price of $48,724.00.

Bridge being replaced on new abutment (WRT-25-4, Spaulding)

One other aspect worth noting concerning the bridge abutment maintenance and the entrance road rehabilitation was the order in which they were accomplished. Both contracts were issued by R.O. CGS with Engineering assistance. The road rehab was accomplished first, which meant that in the immediate vicinity of the bridge, the beautiful, new road surface was completely torn up to perform the bridge work. The bridge contractor was unable to restore the approaches to the same immaculate condition they were in after the road contractor left. The contracts should have been accomplished in reverse order.

4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement

Extensive vehicle repairs were necessary, throughout the year. The 1980 Jeep Cherokee, 1-120484, required new brakes and new axle bearings and seals on all wheels in August. The local jeep garage was incredulous that we actually drove the vehicle through mud puddles and the like stating "you can't do that with the vehicle!" What do you do with a 4-wheel drive? The 1979 Dodge 1-ton pick-up, 1-135459, burned out the bearings on the right front wheel and required a new spindle and bearings in August. A brake job was also done on this truck in July. The IH2400 tractor received a new alternator and battery in June.

A twenty-five foot Prowler camp trailer was acquired on •-* excess from FEMA in October. The trailer requires some plumbing repairs, but is in good condition. It will be used to house SCA enrollees at Morton and during waterfowl season when patrolling the east end of the island.

Prowler trailer acquired'from FEMA (WRT-26-4, Spaulding)

A Woods R-105 brush hog mower was acquired with ARMM funds in November. It will be used on the IH 2400 to control old field succession and to trim fire trails and maintenance roads.

A John Deere 550A crawler/dozer was acquired with fire funds this spring. The actual order was placed in FY-82. The machine is equipped with a three-way dozer, winch and low ground pressure tracks. It will be of great use for prescribed burning, wildfire suppression and routine 0 & M. However, a problem occurred with the machine in December when a crack appeared in the final drive housing of the right track. The machine had only 42 hours on it and John Deere agreed to replace the faulty assembly under warranty. This problem has occurred on at least two other JD 550's acquired by the region this year and John Deere has acknowledged the defi­ciency and repairs the machines and modifies the parts in question to prevent future problems. Still, a $48,000 machine ought to be free of defects.

5. Communication Systems

Radios, red light beacons and sirens were installed in two 1983 Chevrolet C-30 4X4 pick-ups acquired at the end of 1983. The vehicles are used for fire suppression and routine 0 & M.

A radio was installed in the 1979 Chevrolet van, 1-120385.

40

This vehicle is used for oil spill response and to transport YCC enrollees to and from job sites. An amber rotating beacon was also installed.

7. Energy Conservation

The maintenance staff installed a wood stove in the shop building in October to provide a heat source for winter vehicle repairs and the like. An old pot belly stove from the Target Rock Refuge estate was used after fire proofing the area behind the stove and installing insulated metal chimney pipe/-

The old pot-belly will take the chill off the shop (WRT-27-4, Spaulding)

Q-1 and Q-7 are both heated primarily with wood. The occupants obtain wood under a Personal Privilege Special Use Permit from refuge fire trails. The refuge benefits from reduced maintenance costs of clearing downed trees and the occupant enjoy conservation benefits.

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J. OTHER ITEMS

3. Items of Interest

James Gillett, Chief of Refuge Management Division, ARD Suzanne Mayer, and Robert Miller, R.O. Realty, visited the Long Island Complex October 9th through October 11th. On October 11th, Refuge Supervisor George Gavutis, Gillett, and Manager Spaulding finally succeeded in conducting an over-flight of the entire complex, several refuges in New Jersey and Connecticut and proposed refuges in Connecticut and New Jersey.

In October, Outdoor Recreation Planner Lindvall met with Mr. Joseph Canedo of the Office of the Secretary of Interior concerning handicapped access on the Long Island Refuges.

, Mr. Canedo is developing implementation guidelines for the Department of the Interior handicapp access. On the tour of Wertheim, Morton and Conscience Point NWR's, Mr. Canedo was made familiar with the kinds of facilities, tracts, and buildings found on refuges that are in need of access improvements.

Manager Spaulding serves as field response coordinator for oil spills occurring in the Long Island and New York Harbor areas. No major spills occurred this year. One minor spill occurred on Wertheim when a contractor left three oil cans on the job site. Vandals threw the cans of oil into the river just north of the refuge office. The reluctant con­tractor cleaned up some of the oil with absorbents. Two days later another minor spill occurred when a hydraulic hose burst on equipment the same contractor was using. Sorbents were kept on site afterwards until completion of the job.

Manager Spaulding attended the semi-annual organizational meeting of the Regional Response team. The meeting was held in Edison, New Jersey on October 18.

4. Credits

Mark Lindvall wrote sections A through G, H (except H. 17) and J. Roger Spaulding wrote sections H. 17, I and K and edited the report. The report was typed by Robin Clarke.

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K. FEEDBACK ^

The timing of the implementation of the PAY/PERS system was a disaster. Introducing a complicated new method for time­keeping and personnel records, which was fraught with problems at the beginning of the annual YCC program demonstrates a singular lack of planning. The system was unable to handle the permanent staff of the Service and to overload it further with the thousands of new YCC enrollees was folly indeed. At the time this is written we still have one YCC enrollee who has never received their final pay check. All our efforts have failed "to get the system to generate the check, even though it is acknowledged, the money is owed. The remaining ten enrollees in our program finally received their last checks just before Christmas!

A "Catch 22" exists in the regulations, or their interpretation, which deal with Imprest funds. Our fund has been reduced to the point where it is nearly useless. We have an authorized fund of $400.00 to operate eight refuges, three of which have extensive physical plants. Rarely do we have over $200.00 in cash on hand because of funds tied-up in reimbursement vouchers. Vouchers require an average of four weeks to clear with occasional vouchers taking six to eight weeks. Generally when a check arrives it is completely spent within two to three days and we must wait three to five weeks before the next one arrives.

The fund is audited by Regional Office Budget and Finance on a yearly basis. Invariably the audit recommends reduction of the fund because of insufficient turnover. Catch 22 - "you don't spend your money fast enough," "but we don't have the money on hand to spend to increase the turnover rate!" As a result, in 1984 alone we issued forty-six SF-44's for amounts under $300., the imprest single vendor spending limit; twenty-nine of these, P.O.'s were under $100 and nineteen under $50. The imprest fund is one of the preferred methods of making small purchases because of the low cost of administration. SF-44's are far more expensive. Local vendors are reluctant and often refuse to accept SF-44's as they can not afford to carry the U.S. Government for periods of two, three or four months for a $35.00 part.

This problem is not unique to Long Island Refuges. Some relief, change in regulations or their interpretation, must be sought to allow field stations to increase their imprest funds to practical levels. This would be an immediate method to reduce the cost of government and improve its responsiveness to private citizens.

OYSTER BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Oyster Bay, New York

The 3,204 acre Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge is an un­manned refuge administered from the Long Island Refuge complex headquarters located at Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is located on the north shore of Long Island and was es­tablished in 1968. It consists mainly of the bay bottom of Oyster Bay. The boundary extends up to mean high water. The Mill Neck Cr^ek and Frost Creek areas have about 250 acres of salt marsh and some of the approximately fifteen miles of shore­line is fringed with salt marsh. The refuge is surrounded by housing. Numerous docks, beaches, boat ramps and breakwaters exist on the refuge. Some of these were built before the area became a wildlife refuge and some have been built subsequent to the acquisition.

The area is of value to wildlife, especially wintering ducks and geese. Because the Town of Oyster Bay controls the water and we own no adjacent land, little is done by us to enhance the area for wildlife.

This year, Nassau County again proposed widening West Shore Road. To do this, fill would need to be placed on refuge marshes. Local people vehemently oppose this project which is brought up every few years. There is also a reversionary clause in the refuge deed which would return the land to the town if any road or bridge construction is permitted on refuge lands. The refuge was originally donated to the federal government by the town as part of their successful effort to stop construction of a bridge from Long Island to the mainland.

A Habitat Classification and Covertype Mapping Report was prepared as part of master planning. The work was done under contract by Doug Norton of Cornell University. The study found 78 percent of the area to be open water, 5 percent Spartina alterniflora fringe marsh, 5 percent Spartina patens/ Distichlis spicata high marsh, and 3 percent unconsolidated shores.

LIDO BEACH WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA

Lido Beach, New York

The twenty-two acre Lido Beach Wildlife Management Area is a small part of a much larger marsh, the Hempstead estuary. The area is administered from Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge, about forty miles east. The area is managed under a cooperative agreement with the Town of Hempstead. The Long Beach School district conducts an active environmental education program on thre area and adjacent town property. They have con­verted a former military barracks on their property into an environmental education center named SEA Link.

The marsh, of which Lido Beach is a part, attracts large numbers of shorebirds in the fall and waterfowl in the winter. Even though the estuary is very close to New York City and very urbanized, good numbers of American black ducks, brant, scaup and Canada geese winter here.

K. FEEDBACK

The timing of the implementation of the PAY/PERS system was a disaster. Introducing a complicated new method for time­keeping and personnel records, which was fraught with problems at the beginning of the annual YCC program demonstrates a singular lack of planning. The system was unable to handle the permanent staff of the Service and to overload it further with the thousands of new YCC enrollees was folly indeed. At the time this is written we still have one YCC enrollee who has never received their final pay check. All our efforts have failed to get the system to generate the check, even though it is acknowledged, the money is owed. The remaining ten enrollees in our program finally received their last checks just before Christmas 1

A "Catch 22" exists in the regulations, or their interpretation, which deal with Imprest funds. Our fund has been reduced to the point where it is nearly useless. We have an authorized fund of $400.00 to operate eight refuges, three of which have extensive physical plants. Rarely do we have over $200.00 in cash on hand because of funds tied-up in reimbursement vouchers. Vouchers require an average of four weeks to clear with occasional vouchers taking six to eight webks. Generally when a check arrives it is completely spent within two to three days and we must wait three to five weeks before the next one arrives.

The fund is audited by Regional Off-ice Budget and Finance on a yearly basis. Invariably the audit recommends reduction of the fund because of insufficient turnover. Catch 22 - "you don't spend your money fast enough," "but we don't have the money on hand to spend to increase the turnover rate!" As a result, in 1984 alone we issued forty-six SF-44's for amounts under $300., the imprest single vendor spending limit; twenty-nine of these, P.O.'s were under $100 and nineteen under $50. The imprest fund is one of the preferred methods of making small purchases because of the low cost of administration. SF-44's are far more expensive. Local vendors are reluctant and often refuse to accept SF-44's as they can not afford to carry the U.S. Government for periods of two, three or four months for a $35.00 part.

This problem is not unique to Long Island Refuges. Some relief, change in regulations or their interpretation, must be sought to allow field stations to increase their imprest funds to practical levels. This would be.an immediate method to reduce the cost of government and improve its responsiveness to private citizens.

? ^ v , i u .

UNITED STATES OEfARTMENT OP THE INTERIOR

2,3oo.ooo recr

WERTHEIM NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE S U F F O L K C O U N T Y , N E W Y O R K

2,310 .OOO FCET ' !

UNITED STATES

F ISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

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40° 47'30* '

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P o i n t

B E L L P O R T B A Y

2.300 ,000 FEET

COMPILED IN THE OFFICE OF REALTY FROM SURVEYS BY U.S.O.S. AND'U.S.F. A W.S. SCALE O P"

2 . 3 1 0 , 0 0 0 F E E T 1

IOOO 2000 3000 4OOO FEET

.1 KILOMETERS

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS DECEMBER 1977

M E A N D E C L I N A T I O N

1967

5R NY 413 407

OYSTER BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE UNITED STATES

DEPARTIitEKT OF THE INTERIOR

NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK UNITED STATES

F ISH AND WILDL IFE SERVICE

•*0-52'JO"

COM FILED M THE DIVISION O F ENGftCERINO

FROM SURVEYS BY 6.S AND STATE OF NEW

YORK. DEPARTMENT OF PUBUC WORKS.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS JANUARY 1970

POSTED: «/Yf

73* 30'00"

Scale

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I . ,967 5R N Y. 9-06 402

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